Tag Archives: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka (Part 3)

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Pol Sambol

Traditional Sri Lankan coconut side dish. Coconuts are a staple ingredient in most Sri Lankan meals.

Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 150g unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 150g sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 medium tomato, de-seeded, finely chopped, juice reserved
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 150g cooked small shrimp, finely chopped (substituted for maldive fish)
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • salt to taste

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut, tomato, onion, and chill powder. Mix thoroughly until ingredients have an even pink color.
  2. Add reserved tomato juice, lime juice, shrimp, and salt to taste. Mix until the symbol is moist and pale reddish in color. Serve.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5
  • Papa: 3.5/5, can’t wait to try this as batter for barbecued tiger prawns!
  • Girlie: 3/5
  • TW: 4.5/5
  • McM: 4/5, very interesting texture and combination of flavors! Mixing half sweetened and half unsweetened coconut is a nice blend.

Original recipes: http://www.mysrilankanrecipe.com/coconut-sambol/ and http://www.harihari.co.uk/recipeblog/pol-sambol/

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Sri Lanka (Part 2)

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Gotukola Sambol

Traditional Sri Lankan salad with a strong but refreshing flavour.

Total time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches Italian flat-leaf parsley (substituted for Sri Lankan gotukola)
  • 3 tablespoons white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 50g unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 50g sweetened shredded coconut
  • 2-3 tablespoons lime juice, to taste

Directions

  1. Rinse parsley. Chop coarsely.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine parsley, onion, tomato, coconut, and lime juice. Use tongs to mix the salad until ingredients evenly distributed. Serve.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4.5/5, would be great as a summer salad!
  • Papa: 4/5
  • Girlie: 2/5
  • TW: 4/5
  • McM: 3/5

Original recipe: http://www.srilankanrecipes.info/recipes/Sambols/GotukolaSambol.aspx

Sri Lanka (Part 1)

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Scrambled Tofu

Vegetarian Sri Lankan meal.

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1kg firm tofu, crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 250g fresh baby spinach
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Steam the spinach until wilted. Squeeze out excess water. Set aside to cool.
  2. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and sauté (2 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook (2 more minutes). Add tomatoes and cook (1 more minute). Add steamed spinach and cook (2 more minutes).
  3. Add turmeric, chill powder, soy sauce. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add crumbled tofu. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, until heated (10 minutes).
  5. Serve with additional soy sauce and hot sauce as desired.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 3.5/5, excellent with soy sauce!
  • Papa: 4/5, initially a bit bland but very tasty with soy sauce and hot sauce to add spice and flavour
  • Girlie: 3/5
  • TW: 5/5, really delicious with soy sauce added
  • McM: 4/5, could use more spice but great with soy sauce!

Original recipe: http://www.srilankanrecipes.info/recipes/TofuEggSoyaDishes/ScrambledTofu.aspx

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Scrambled tofu (left) served with pol sambol (bottom) and gotukola sambol (right) for a traditional Sri Lanka meal (see other recipe posts on this blog). We felt that this meal had some of the most interesting and exotic flavor combinations of any country so far!